Leon broke the awkward silence between him and Ophelia by saying, "Are you thirsty? Do you want a drink?"

Ophelia nodded lightly, feeling a dry throat. She followed him into the kitchen.

As Leon opened the door of a shelf and took two bottles of crimson liquid out of it, Ophelia sat by the table. Leon gave her one of the bottles and drank from his, leaning against the wall.

Staring at the bottle of blood, Ophelia said, "Sir, how come I never needed this thing all my life?

Coming closer to the table and sitting on a chair, Leon spoke. "You hadn't become a fully mature vampire because you were taken out of Nordlys at such a young age."

"Does that mean... the atmosphere of Nordlys helps vampires to... transform fully?"

"Precisely."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Strange."

Leon smirked. "It is funny how you had only aged and grown all these years... yet matured at this time. The process would have been much slower without my venom, though."

Ophelia's eyebrows rose. "So you... you did that when you bit me..." she murmured while tracing her fingers over the scar on her neck.

Leon nodded, quietly finishing his drink. Ophelia had not taken a sip yet. She only stared at the bottle, feeling a growing thirst.

As she brought the bottle to her lips, Leon got up and said, "Drink it and then go to bed." He then left the kitchen.

Ophelia drank all of what was left in the bottle. The crimson liquid felt like a sweet treat in her mouth. When she was done, she came out of the kitchen, taking slow steps. She peeked at Leon on the way to the bedroom.

The man sat under the moonlight with his newspaper. He looked relaxed; particles of dust surrounded and danced around him. He had a peculiar aura, one that Ophelia felt she could never comprehend.

Ophelia rushed into the bedroom when he looked at her from the corner of his eye. She hurriedly jumped into bed, wrapping the blanket around herself.

***

I was in the woods. There was no one with me. I looked here and there; there was no one in sight. I walked through the woods, among the trees, looking for someone.

"Sir, where are you?" I called out, running at this point. There he was, standing in the distance. He turned to me as I said, "I was searching for you."

His face wasn't clear. There was something strange about him. I looked at him from head to toe and found something terribly frightening. He was wounded. Somebody had stabbed him.

I rushed to him as he fell to his knees. He was breathing sharply in pain. The wound in his chest wouldn't stop bleeding. I cried out as I tried to stop the bleeding with my cloak, "How did this happen to you?"

He did not say a word. He lay on his back while staring at me. I said, "Don't worry, you'll be alright. I'll find a way."

I had to get help quickly. I shouted, looking around, "Is there anyone here?"

Suddenly, he parted his lips to speak. "I was wrong, Ophelia."

What could he mean? I didn't know. I asked, "What are you talking about?"

Until he replied, I only panicked. The bleeding still hadn't stopped.

"I shouldn't have... trusted you," he said, his breath almost coming to a stop.

"What are you saying? What did I do?" I said, tears filling my eyes with the anticipation of losing him.

"This," he whispered, pointing to his wound. "It's all over, Ophelia."

His eyes closed. "No... I can't do this... Wake up, sir!" I shouted, tapping on his cheeks. Not a single word or movement came from him. My heart sank.

Afterwards, all of it disappeared. The woods, the trees, and him - none of it was with me. I was surrounded by a blinding white light, in the middle of nowhere.

It was scary. I couldn't breathe as if there was no air. I looked at my hands. They were covered in blood.

The next moment, I only screamed, not knowing why this happened, how this happened.

Ophelia's eyes shot open as she gasped for air. Her heart raced; her entire body got wet with sweat. She sat up and looked around, panting. She was in Grace's bedroom which was dimly lit by the light coming from outside.

Beside her, Grace had been sleeping. The woman woke up hearing Ophelia's raspy breaths. As their eyes met, Ophelia broke into tears. "Miss Grace..."

The woman pushed herself up and pulled Ophelia into a hug, wiping away the sweat from her forehead. "Is it a bad dream?" she said in a soothing voice, gently stroking the girl's hair.

Ophelia did not respond; she buried her face in Grace's shoulder. The woman patted her back, whispering, "Don't worry, Ophelia. You are alright. Nothing will happen."

Will nothing really happen? the girl wondered. She was afraid of herself.

***

It was another day when Leon went out for Grupis. Ophelia was worried she still complied with his decision to leave her behind. However, she was not alone. Grace was home.

Ophelia did not get enough sleep; she woke up in the middle of the night. She tiptoed out of the bedroom and saw Grace working in the kitchen. She went ahead and asked the woman if she could help.

Grace allowed her to dust the furniture. The girl did it enthusiastically, leaving no stone unturned to clean the house.

When she was done with the work, Grace smiled. "Thank you, der. I appreciate your work," she said as she patted the girl's head.

"Miss Grace, is there anything more I can do?" asked Ophelia with a feeling of boredom.

The woman's pupils turned up as she thought. "You can cook, if you want to. We will have guests today."

Ophelia's eyes widened upon hearing the news. She did not know whether she should be happy or not. A bunch of thoughts crossed her mind and she felt wry.

Do vampires invite people as humans do? The guests must be vampires too. What if they find out I'm a vampire? What if they bring humans with them? Do they even have humans with them? Stop, Ophelia. That's nonsense.

"That's great news!" Ophelia smiled. "But do you think he would like it? He is so aware of things..."

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's just the neighbours who wanted to pay a visit. I have been busy with work all these days, that's why I couldn't have them here. They might already sense that someone is living with me. So, cover up your wrist and pretend to be human. That will do."

"And what about the sign?" the girl asked, thinking about the mark she needed to have to prove that she was a human and was legally brought here into Nordlys. The mark had to be a number on the nape of her neck.

"I'll write it down. They wouldn't notice, but it is better to be safe."

That did not seem very hard for her. Besides, Ophelia could play along with whatever Grace would say to the guests about her. But what if something goes wrong? Ophelia thought. However, she decided not to worry.

While the darkness still lingered in the sky, the guests arrived. At that moment, Ophelia was working in the kitchen. She had just finished baking.

Grace greeted the guests, as they came into the house. Hearing their voices, Ophelia could understand that there were two women other than Grace.

As she stared at the biscuits she had prepared, she thought to herself, Maybe this will be enough.

She sat by the table after washing her hands and face. The house had become warm and filled with the sweet smell of the biscuits. Ophelia heard the women gossip, and at one point, one of the guests said, "What is that smell? Is someone cooking? I have been wondering if someone lives with you."

Grace's voice was heard next. "Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you. A young girl lives with me."

Ophelia was sure that the other two women were startled to hear it. The other one of them said, "Since when? Did you bring her?"

"Yes, but it hasn't been long. It's been a while since my son died; I've spent a long time living alone. I needed a change, and a companion too."

"I see. So, where is this girl?"

Ophelia took a deep, steady breath, waiting to be called. She knew it was time for her to face them. They could be vampires, just like Leon and Grace.

She heard Grace call out, "Isla, come here."

Isla. My new fake name... she thought to herself before standing up and moving out of the kitchen. Two unfamiliar women were seated on the couch by the window. Even in the dim light coming from the candle in the kitchen, Ophelia could understand that both were vampires.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," she said, walking forward. As Grace beckoned her to sit, she sat on the floor right beside Grace's chair.

"Isla, they are Adelaide and Charlotte. They're sisters," Grace uttered, pointing to the women.

Charlotte, who had curly hair and looked lively, smiled. "She is nice."

Grace patted her head and said, "She is. It is a pleasure to have her with me."

The other woman, who looked rather grim and indifferent, gazed at her with doubt. Her eyes squinted a little as they scanned Ophelia from head to toe. Finally, she opened her mouth. "She does not look... normal."

Her words caught Grace off guard for a moment, but she had prepared a response for them. "Actually, she isn't a vampire."

The two sisters seemed to be amused; the glistening in their eyes was visible. "Is she a human, then?" Charlotte squeaked.

Ophelia's stomach turned seeing the look on their faces as Grace nodded. She glanced at Grace as the younger sister asked with excitement, "How does she taste?"

Grace said after a pause, "I don't drink from her."

Adelaide, the older sister asked sternly, "Then... is she pursuing to witchcraft?"

Grace nodded. Adelaide still had the stern look on her face. She stared intensely at Ophelia as she said, "Isla, show me some magic."